“Poetry in motion” is how the internet describes the incredible skills of India’s Para-archer Sheetal Devi. Having developed a unique technique to shoot the arrows makes her the “first female archer without arms to compete internationally”, according to World Archery, the sport’s global governing body. How does she do it, you ask? Sheetal lifts the bow with her right leg, uses her right shoulder to draw the string, and then, through the strength of her jaw, she releases the arrow. And bammmm…the arrow strikes right in the middle of the target, a perfect 10.
The 17-year-old Indian prodigy from Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, was born with Phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder that causes under-developed limbs.
Sheetal had already made headlines last year as she made history as the first female armless archer to win the Silver medal at the World Archery Para Championship in 2023 when she was just 16. In the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, she won two gold medals and a silver.
The clip of her shooting a perfect 10 with utmost grace against the Chilean Mariana Zúñiga in Paralympics Paris 2024 has taken the internet by storm. People are in awe of her inspiring and elegant maneuver.
In her match against Turkey’s Oznur Girdi Cure, Sheetal shot 703 points out of a possible 720, leaving behind the previous world record score of 698. Unfortunately, Cure shot 704 points, to take the record by one more point and eliminate Sheetal.
Whatever the result, medal or not, Sheetal’s story is one for the ages, a perfect example of what desire and dedication can help someone do.